Southern California

After days of heat and Santa Ana winds, Southern California's weather will take a dramatic turn Sunday with lower temperatures and a chance of rain. "An area of low pressure will approach Southwest California from the north today and bring a period of much cooler, unsettled weather to the area today through Tuesday," the National Weather Service said in a statement. There is a 20% chance of rain Sunday. The weather service said showers "are likely" Monday but should diminish Tuesday.

About 1 million customers of the Automobile Club of Southern California will get an average $65 reduction in their annual car insurance premiums, the company and the state insurance department announced Wednesday. The total rate cut came to $70 million, or 4.1%, for policies that start or renew after July 1. It was the fourth such reduction in the last nine years, which will have saved policyholders more than $380 million, Auto Club President Robert T. Bouttier said Wednesday.

Southern California was marking a cloudy Easter Sunday with a variety of events. The National Weather Service predicted a cloudy Easter in Los Angeles with a 20% chance of scattered showers in some areas. Highs will be in the high 50s to low 60s. There will be fog in some coastal areas. Easter at the Hollywood Bowl is free to the public and will feature an address by Francis Chan, author of "Crazy Love. " “Whether you are simply curious about faith or a longtime follower of Jesus, Easter at the Bowl will leave you filled with life and an unshakeable hope!

With the field in the Los Angeles mayor's race now whittled down to two, more state legislators from Southern California are taking sides. Councilman Eric Garcetti announced a trio of endorsements Monday from state Sens. Kevin De Leon (D-Los Angeles) and Ricardo Lara (D-Bell Gardens) as well as former Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez. “These three legislative leaders will be powerful voices in this election and will help me build support in neighborhoods throughout our city," Garcetti said in a statement.

A record number of investors and second-home buyers flooded the Southern California real estate market in December, though not enough to give sales in the region a bump over the same month a year earlier. With the investor dominance, low-cost homes reigned. That helped push the region's median home price back down to its lowest level in 12 months, according to San Diego real estate firm DataQuick. Sales fell 1.4% from the same month a year earlier, with a total of 19,247 homes bought throughout the six-county region.

Excessive heat warnings have been issued for mountain areas across Southern California through Thursday night, the National Weather Service said. The weather will remain hot and humid in elevations below 4,000 feet from Santa Barbara County to the Mexican Border in San Diego County, the agency said Tuesday. The excessive heat index in some areas will be between 100 and 105 degrees. The index is a measure of how hot it really feels when relative humidity is factored in with the actual air temperature, according to the Weather Service.

A “May miracle” of almost perfectly timed, above average rainfall helped firefighters battling the large Springs fire in Ventura County, and guaranteed that Los Angeles would not break a dubious record. The city was on track to having its fourth-driest year since 1877. But with about 0.70 inch of rain falling in downtown L.A. just before noon, that is no longer the case. For firefighters trying to mop up a 28,000-acre wildfire that broke out in the midst of blistering temperatures, the rain that started this weekend couldn't have come at a better time.

The announcement for various wine events and tastings usually comes in so early, I'll stash the release away, planning to write about the event a couple of weeks before it takes place. Now I'm finding out that's all wrong, because tickets sell out fast, especially to the events that don't require mega-bucks to attend. So here it is: Tickets went on sale a couple of days ago for Family Winemakers of California 's annual Southern California tasting. This year -- the fifth -- it takes place Saturday, March 9, and Sunday, March 10, and shines the light on 175 producers from small, family-owned wineries.

Mountain High , which has been closed since Nov. 27, is hoping to reopen this weekend. "The forecast is for a cold and powerful storm to hit Southern California,” said spokeswoman Kim Herman. “With temperatures in the 20s, we should be able to make tons of snow on top of the six to 10 inches of natural snow that should be falling.” She said the Wrightwood resort, which has the closest skiing and snowboarding to Los Angeles, could reopen as early as Friday. Ben Smith, Mountain High's general manager, said the resort has been waiting for a change in the weather.

Imitation may be flattering, but not to Clay Harding, owner of a popular craft beer bar and restaurant in Alhambra called 38 Degrees Ale House & Grill. Harding recently learned that a new pub had opened in Carlsbad with the 38 Degrees name -- and he's not happy about it, reports the blog thefullpint.com . "I will be making some phone calls, and seeing what I can do to protect my property," Harding told the blog. "I have and will always support those who spread the word, educate, brew and sell real, live craft beers," Harding said.